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Team Canada Announces Initial World Championship Roster

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Hockey Canada has followed up news of their World Championship coaching staff by announcing the first 15 players on their tournament roster. The team is a healthy mix between veteran NHL experience and burgeoning stars. That includes reigning first overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini, who will receive his first chance to join Canada’s Men’s team. Celebrini will operate down a loaded center depth chart, behind NHL stars Bo Horvat and Ryan O’Reilly.

Celebrini is the headliner, but Canada will embrace a major youth movement with this lineup. They’re also bringing young forward Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson, as well as defenseman Ryker Evans. All three players proved their worth as everyday NHL talents this season – Fantilli with a 30-goal season, Johnson with 57 points, and Evans with a routine top-four role in Seattle. Interestingly, the roster does not yet contain 2023 first-overall pick Connor Bedard, who scored eight points in 10 tourney games last summer.

Team Canada has also invited 22-year-old goaltender Dylan Garand – the only invitee to not spend the entire season in the NHL. Garand instead served as the starter for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, where he managed a .913 save percentage and 20-10-8 record. He’ll likely be the third-string goaltender once Canada adds more experienced pros currently in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Evans’ role on defense will be sheltered by major supports in the form of MacKenzie Weegar, Noah Dobson, Brandon Montour, and Travis Sanheim. All four players are top defensemen for their NHL clubs and collectively form a very experienced blue-line for the international lineup. None of Canada’s first five defense invites were on the World Championship roster last year.

The current roster is as follows:

F Macklin Celebrini (Sharks)
F William Cuylle (Rangers)
F Adam Fantilli (Blue Jackets)
F Tyson Foerster (Flyers)
F Barrett Hayton (Hockey Club)
F Bo Horvat (Islanders)
F Kent Johnson (Blue Jackets)
F Travis Konecny (Flyers)
F Ryan O’Reilly (Predators)

D Noah Dobson (Islanders)
D Ryker Evans (Kraken)
D Brandon Montour (Kraken)
D Travis Sanheim (Flyers)
D MacKenzie Weegar (Flames)

G Dylan Garand (Rangers)

Metropolitan Notes: Karlsson, Islanders, Ashton

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Erik Karlsson’s tenure with Pittsburgh has been a bit underwhelming, to say the least.  While he has eclipsed 50 points in each of his first two years, his totals pale in comparison to the 101 he had in 2022-23 with San Jose.  In a recent 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link), Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mused that once Karlsson’s signing bonus gets paid (July 1st is the payment date for most but not all), the 34-year-old will be more of a realistic trade target.  At that point, he’ll be down to just $11.5MM in cash owed over the final two years of the contract, a chunk of which the Sharks will be picking up.  If the Penguins are willing to retain further, they might find a relatively decent trade market for his services, especially among some of the lower-spending teams who might find extra value in having an AAV higher than cash owed.

More from the Metropolitan:

  • Ethan Sears of the New York Post provides (subscription link) an overview of some questions the Islanders now face in the wake of Lou Lamoriello not getting his contract renewed. Chief among them is the fate of contract extension talks between the club and pending UFA winger Kyle Palmieri.  It looked as if a new deal was a matter of when, not if, but if the new GM wants to go a different direction, that could now be off the table.  Sears also flags the handling of Noah Dobson’s next contract as a key question.  While Lamoriello didn’t seem to view the pending RFA as a number one defender, his numbers suggest he’s about to be paid like one.  Does the new GM want to hand out a max-term contract or look for something shorter-term that might come in a little cheaper?
  • Blue Jackets prospect Luke Ashton has transferred to Cornell for next season, relays Brad Elliott Schlossmann of the Grand Forks Herald (Twitter link). The 20-year-old blueliner was a sixth-round pick last year after a strong offensive season with BCHL Langley that saw him tally 18 goals.  However, he only managed five goals along with eight assists with Minnesota State (Mankato), resulting in Ashton deciding to look for a change of scenery.  He is now one of three NHL-drafted blueliners on the Big Red.

Islanders Notes: Dobson, Reilly, Palmieri, DeAngelo, Varlamov

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Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is slated to become a restricted free agent this summer and is in line for a substantial raise on the $4MM he made on his bridge deal.  Speaking to reporters including Ethan Sears of the New York Post, the 25-year-old declined to provide a preference between signing a short-term deal that could allow him to hit the open market in his prime or a long-term agreement that could make him the highest-paid player in team history.  Dobson had a quieter year this season with 10 goals and 29 assists in 71 games but he’s only a year removed from a 70-point effort that saw him land in the top ten in Norris Trophy voting which will play a significant role in negotiations.  Dobson has just this one year of RFA eligibility remaining and he is arbitration-eligible.

More from the Isles:

  • After missing more than four months following being diagnosed with a heart condition, defenseman Mike Reilly told reporters including Stefan Rosner of The Hockey News he intends to play next season. The 31-year-old was limited to just 18 appearances this season between the heart issue and being scratched with some frequency and while he noted he’d like to stay with the Isles, the limited usage could suggest that he’s unlikely to be brought back.  Reilly had just two assists in those 18 outings while his 15:10 ATOI was the second lowest of his career.
  • Winger Kyle Palmieri wasn’t moved at the trade deadline with the belief that the two sides were close on a new deal. That hasn’t happened yet but the veteran indicated to Newsday’s Andrew Gross and other reporters that he’s hopeful a new contract can be reached.  A pending UFA, the 34-year-old had 24 goals and 24 assists in 82 games this season which should put him in line for another contract close to the $5MM he received for each of the last four years.
  • Pending UFA defenseman Tony DeAngelo told reporters including Gross that his intention is to remain in the NHL next season with his preferred outcome being remaining with the Isles. Signed midseason after having his KHL deal terminated, DeAngelo played a bigger role than expected, averaging over 23 minutes a night of playing time while chipping in with 19 points in 35 games.  With that type of production, DeAngelo’s market might be better this time around after not getting a firm offer last summer while playing for the prorated league minimum when he joined New York.
  • Goaltender Semyon Varlamov is hoping to start skating in June as he continues his recovery from a lower-body injury that kept him out of the lineup since late November, Gross relays. The 36-year-old posted a 2.89 GAA with a .889 SV% in just ten starts this season and still has two years left on his contract that carries a $2.75MM cap charge.

Islanders Place Matt Martin On IR, Activate Noah Dobson From LTIR

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Feb. 26: Per the NHL media site (and shared by Rosner), the Islanders have officially activated Dobson from the long-term injured reserve making him available for tomorrow’s contest. Additionally, New York has transferred center Mathew Barzal from injured reserve to LTIR to create the necessary cap space for Dobson’s return.

Feb. 25: It’s a lower-body injury for Martin, Rosner reports. Dobson won’t return tonight against the Rangers but is probable for Thursday against the Bruins, he adds.

Feb. 25: The New York Islanders have reportedly placed forward Matt Martin on injured reserve (as per Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News), opening the door for them to activate defenseman Noah Dobson off LTIR. The Islanders needed to open up room for Dobson and could have placed a player on waivers to do so, however, Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello opted to use IR to open up a spot.

Martin began the year on a PTO before signing a one-year deal for the NHL minimum ($775K) when the Islanders began dealing with injury issues. The 35-year-old hasn’t played since January 16th, making it unclear when he suffered the injury. The 12-game absence likely signals what the rest of Martin’s season will look like as he probably won’t see much action regardless of injury status, unless the Islanders trade away several members of their NHL roster or go through another bout of the injury bug.

Martin has dressed in 24 games this year for the Islanders, posting a single assist, 68 hits and 15 blocked shots. He carved out a nice NHL career for himself and was once a pretty solid forechecker but at this stage of his career, he doesn’t offer much at the NHL level. Martin has played very little when he has dressed, averaging just 7:47 of ice time per game and has been decimated on the possession front, posting a CF% of 35.4%.

Dobson is expected to be activated after the Islanders’ morning skate today. The 25-year-old hasn’t played since January 20th and has had a lower-body injury. His absence created a big hole for the Islanders as he has been averaging a shade over 24 minutes of ice time per game and has continued to be a terrific play driver. His offensive numbers have fallen off this season, registering six goals and 18 assists in 46 games, and he continues to be a polarizing player for Islanders fans who don’t see him as a fit on the power play and question some of his decisions with the puck.

Islanders’ Noah Dobson Changes Representation

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New York Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson is making headlines during the NHL’s two-week break. According to Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Dobson has parted ways with his agent, Andrew Maloney of Maloney & Thompson Sports Management. He will now be represented by Judd Moldaver and Olivier Fortier from Wasserman Hockey, with Fortier serving as his lead agent.

The news will undoubtedly spark speculation about Dobson, especially after reports suggested that the Islanders might consider trading their young defenseman. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman later dismissed these rumors, stating that New York is not actively looking to make Dobson available. Nonetheless, the recent agency change will likely raise more questions than answers.

It doesn’t necessarily indicate that a trade is imminent. Friedman’s reputation in these matters is well established, and the change in agency may suggest that Dobson is seeking a long-term agreement with the only organization he has ever been a part of. However, his new agent Fortier, has yet to add any long-term extensions to his resume. The highest-value contract Oliver has ever negotiated is the four-year, $11.8MM deal between Mathieu Joseph and the Ottawa Senators in 2022.

Dobson’s other agent, Moldaver, has more experience with contract extensions. The Wasserman veteran is responsible for a few of the largest extensions in NHL history. Moldaver negotiated Roman Josi’s $72.47MM extension with the Nashville Predators, Zach Werenski’s $57.5MM extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Auston Matthews’ $53MM agreement with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Connor McDavid’s $100MM pact with the Edmonton Oilers.

Depending on how things play out, Dobson’s salary could more than double in his next contract, which could be difficult for the Islanders to swallow. General manager Lou Lamoriello isn’t a stranger to long-term commitments, but only time will tell if he’ll be willing to do that for Dobson.

Friedman: Islanders Not Making Noah Dobson Widely Available

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Contrary to a report late last week, the Islanders are not actively making defenseman Noah Dobson available for trade, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s 32 Thoughts podcast.

I don’t think he’s generally been out there. There’s too many teams that hadn’t heard it, so I’ll say this. If Dobson was discussed, he was discussed in a specific case or two or however many it was. There was one specific team or one specific player that the Islanders were looking at, and if they had gone down the road on that trade, then Dobson might have been included. I think that’s the fairest way to look at all of this.

Most would suppose the Canucks were the club Friedman’s referring to – including Friedman, who said Vancouver would be “very logical” but couldn’t report with certainty. He assumedly would have been part of the return for Elias Pettersson should a trade have crossed the finish line. Stefen Rosner of NHL.com and The Hockey News reported multiple times over the past few months, including as recently as last week, that the Isles have maintained interest in Pettersson since his name re-emerged in trade rumors earlier this season.

While it’s feasible the Islanders could offer up Dobson again as part of a return for a similarly valued asset, Friedman makes it clear they won’t be selling the 25-year-old as the centerpiece of a deal for futures. The 6’4″ righty is one year removed from a 60-assist, 70-point campaign that earned him an eighth-place finish in Norris Trophy voting. He hasn’t been as dominant offensively this season, mainly due to the club’s power play woes, but his 0.52 points per game still lead the Isles’ blue line, and his 143 shots on goal rank fourth on the team.

Of course, his season came to a halt nearly three weeks ago when he fell awkwardly on his right leg while attempting a check, landing him on long-term injured reserve. He’s listed as week-to-week and didn’t require surgery, and Newsday’s Andrew Gross reported at the beginning of the month that he’s expected to return to the ice during the 4 Nations break. There’s a chance he gets back into game action before the trade deadline as the Islanders, also hamstrung by injuries to Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock, among others, enter the break only four points back of a playoff spot.

The Islanders picked up a trio of puck-movers to help them out in Dobson’s and Pulock’s absences, but none of Adam Boqvist, Tony DeAngelo or Scott Perunovich are signed past this season. Neither is Dobson, a pending restricted free agent set to at least double his current $4MM AAV. The Isles have nearly $29MM in cap space for 2025-26 but also need new deals for notable RFAs Alexander Romanov and Maxim Tsyplakov as they continue extension talks with Brock Nelson.

Yet Dobson is the youngest and most established top-four player out of any of those names. He’s sticking around for the long haul unless, as mentioned, he’s leveraged for an elite forward who can jumpstart an Islanders’ offense that’s ranked in the bottom ten every season since 2017-18.

Islanders Notes: Dobson, Nelson, Pettersson

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According to a report by Jim Biringer from RG.com, and further elaborated by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, which was later shared by the NHL Network, the New York Islanders may be approaching the trade deadline in an unexpected way. Biringer noted that the Islanders are making defenseman Noah Dobson available for trade, while also offering Brock Nelson a three-year contract extension.

It’s a strange development for a team that has gone 8-2-0 in their last 10 and has vaulted back into the playoff conversation in the Eastern Conference. Dobson is arguably the most offensively talented defenseman on the team, won’t become an unrestricted free agent until after the 2026-27 season assuming he doesn’t sign a long-term extension, and is only one year removed from scoring 70 points.

Assuming accurate reporting, Dobson would receive a higher-value return as a young right-handed shooting defenseman. Still, there’s no arguing he’s fallen short of expectations this year. Dobson has scored six goals and 24 points in 46 games for the Islanders this season and a lower-body injury will keep him out of the action until after the 4 Nations Face-Off.

No matter the depressed offensive output or recent injury it would still make little sense for New York to move on from Dobson. They are the fourth-oldest team in the NHL this season and haven’t made it beyond Round One of the Stanley Cup playoffs since the 2020-21 season. Dobson’s ability to score and more than respectable defensive metrics strike as a player the Islanders should invest in long-term — not consider moving.

Keeping Nelson around wouldn’t make them any younger either. A three-year extension would take Nelson to his age-36 season in 2027-28. He’s been a consistent top-six center in New York for over a decade scoring 291 goals and 564 points in 894 career games with the Islanders.

Unless New York continues their winning ways after the 4 Nations Face-Off break, MoneyPuck only gives them a 33.5% of making the postseason. Nelson has been mentioned in trade rumors nearly the entire season and the Islanders could get a valuable return for one of the best rental centers on the market.

Rosner also alluded to another trade target for the Islanders this morning. He reported there’s “a lot of smoke” regarding Vancouver Canucks’ center Elias Pettersson despite the team trading away center J.T. Miller.

New York has been linked to Pettersson over the last couple of months but much of the overall trade interest has died down since Miller was sent to the New York Rangers. Rosner makes a good point that Pettersson only has one year remaining without trade protection but the Canucks could theoretically wait until the 2025 NHL Draft to move him. It would be reasonable for Vancouver to see how Pettersson responds for the rest of the regular season before ultimately taking a firmer stance on his future with the organization.

At any rate, plenty of trade rumors are leaking from a front office that typically doesn’t appreciate them. Lou Lamoriello has deployed ’smoke-and-mirror’ tactics leading up to deadline day in the past but he doesn’t appear to have a concrete direction for the organization’s future.

Islanders Issue Updates On Multiple Long-Term Injuries

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New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello met with the media on Saturday morning to provide updates on the team’s endless injury list, captured by NHL.com’s Rachel Luscher. Most notably, Lamoriello shared that backup goaltender Semyon Varlamov has stopped skating on his own or taking shots after a setback in his lower-body injury. Lamoriello dubbed Varlamov as now out indefinitely and referred to his recovery as “a total rehab situation”.

Varlamov has been out of the lineup for over two months but very little about his injury has come to the surface. His last appearance was an overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on November 29th where Varlamov – despite allowing five goals – didn’t seem to suffer a noticeable injury. But he was pulled from skating the following morning, moved to injured reserve on December 14th, then moved to long-term injured reserve five days later. He seemed to be on the rebound when the new year rolled around, returning to skating and individual drills on January 2nd. But after a month of light action, Varlamov still needs more time to recover. He’ll head back to the shelf, forcing the Islanders to continue searching for a backup.

Unfortunately, that search will be made significantly tougher by an injury to Varlamov’s fill-in, Marcus Hogberg, who Lamoriello shared will miss the next four weeks with an upper-body injury. Hogberg was originally injured on January 26th and moved to injured reserve the following day. He’ll now sit out through the two-week break 4-Nations Face-Off from February 9th to February 22nd. Hogberg was in the midst of a small resurgence before going down with injury. He made his return to North American pros with a two-way deal with the Islanders this summer, after spending the last three seasons starting for Linkopings HC of Sweden’s SHL. Hogberg started the year with middling numbers in the AHL – a 2-5-3 record and .898 save percentage in 11 games – but found his momentum in the wake of Varlamov’s injury.

Starter Ilya Sorokin has been New York’s bell-cow, but in seven games relieving him, Hogberg has managed a dazzling, team-leading .947 save percentage. It’s the highest save percentage of his North American career, ignoring sample size. But now, Hogberg will join Varlamov on the absentee list – and force the Islanders to find yet another replacement. After succeeding him as AHL starter, Jakub Skarek has also filled Hogberg’s role of NHL backup in light of his injury. Skarek hasn’t yet made his NHL debut, but he nonetheless seems cushy at the top flight – with Henrik Tikkanen and Hunter Miska both posting save percentages below .840 in their own elevated, minor-league roles.

Moving out of the net, Lamoriello also shared that the team is still unsure when defenseman Mike Reilly will return after undergoing a heart procedure in November. Reilly has been skating on his own since December 14th – just over a month after his surgery – but hasn’t progressed since then. Lamoriello added that Reilly’s situation will be dictated by his doctors. The 31-year-old defenseman is in his second season with the Islanders. He scored a career-high 24 points in 59 games last season, serving as an impactful third-pair option for a deprived Islanders defense. He seemed headed for a cushier role this year, but struggled to manage any scoring through the first 11 games of the season – then fell to injury. Reilly seems to have a winding recovery ahead of him, which could limit his chance to earn another deal when his $1.25MM cap hit expires this summer.

Ending on a positive note, top Islanders defensemen Noah Dobson and Ryan Pulock are both expected to return to skating drills during the 4-Nations break, per Andrew Gross of Newsday Sports. Dobson has missed the Islanders’ last four games and earned a spot on long-term injured reserve with a lower-body injury; while Pulock has missed two games and been placed on standard IR with an upper-body injury. The pair of absences have driven the Islanders to acquire both Scott Perunovich and Adam Boqvist via trade and waivers respectively. This news will lock the new acquisitions into the lineup until the two-week break – but hopefully the blue-line can return to full-health soon after that.

Islanders’ Noah Dobson Out Week-To-Week With Lower-Body Injury

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Jan. 24: The Islanders placed Dobson on injured reserve Friday, per Daily Faceoff. The transaction opens a roster spot for defenseman Tony DeAngelo should he clear return waivers on Saturday after signing a one-year deal with the Isles for the remainder of the season.

Jan. 23: Dobson has been upgraded to week-to-week with his right leg injury, which evaluation revealed will not require surgery, an Islanders spokesperson told Denis P. Gorman of Newsday on Thursday.

Jan. 21: Star Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson has no timetable for a return from the lower-body injury he sustained in Monday’s win over the Blue Jackets, the team told Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News and NHL.com. Dobson had to leave the contest after falling awkwardly on his lower right leg and ankle while attempting a check on Columbus center Cole Sillinger, although he skated off under his own power.

Dobson will likely be placed on injured reserve at some point before Friday’s game against the Flyers, which will give them the roster space to recall an extra defenseman. Scott Mayfield figures to slide up into a top-four role at even strength in the interim, while Ryan Pulock could see an uptick in ice time by taking Dobson’s spot on their top power-play unit.

New York has failed to keep pace in the wild card race, sitting one game below .500 and seven points back of the Bruins for the second Eastern Conference spot. The Athletic still gave the Isles a 17% chance of rebounding and making up that ground with 36 games remaining, but that number drops at least a couple of percentage points with their most valuable defenseman set to miss multiple weeks.

Dobson hits pause on his 2024-25 season with six goals, 18 assists, 24 points and a minus-eight rating over 46 appearances, translating to a 0.52 points-per-game rate that’s a sharp dropoff from last year’s career-best 0.89. That can partially be explained by the Islanders’ dismal power play, tied with the Ducks for last in the league at 12.5%. 24 of his 70 points last season came with a man advantage, but he’s on pace for half that PP point total this year. Dobson remains the team’s leader in average time on ice (24:01), shots on goal (143), and takeaways (28), so it’s not all bad for the 25-year-old.

Injuries haven’t yet cost Dobson significant time in his six-year NHL career, but that looks to change now. He’s never missed more than four games in a single season due to a non-illness-related injury, but he could easily miss more than twice that before the Isles’ schedule pauses in early February for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

The injury also comes in a contract year for Dobson, who’s ticketed for a big raise on his current $4MM AAV as a pending restricted free agent. The 6’4″ righty has 143 points in 203 games over the life of his current three-year bridge deal and will likely argue for at least doubling his salary on a long-term deal.

Metro Notes: Chytil, Kreider, Lizotte, Glass, Romanov, Stillman

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According to Mollie Walker of the New York Post, the New York Rangers will operate without forwards Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider in the lineup tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. It’ll mark the second straight game without the pair of forwards.

Chytil has missed considerably more than Kreider having been out since New York’s November 14th matchup against the San Jose Sharks. He was reportedly close to a return on November 21st, but the upper-body injury is still afflicting him. He’s scored four goals and nine points in 15 games this season for the Rangers.

Kreider has only missed one game due to his upper-body injury. Through 19 games, he’s scored as many points as Chytil this year, though all in the form of goals. His offensive production has dipped so significantly that the Rangers are reportedly willing to engage interested teams in trade discussions for the veteran scorer.

Other Metro notes:

  • Josh Getzoff, play-by-play commentator of the Pittsburgh Penguins, gave a few injury updates for the team today. Getzoff shares that forward Blake Lizotte, who hasn’t played since November 13th, will be a game-time decision for the team’s game tonight against the Vancouver Canucks. There’s worse news regarding Cody Glass as Getzoff, unfortunately, shares he will miss his ninth straight game with a concussion.
  • Defenseman Alexander Romanov is expected back in the lineup for the New York Islanders this evening. According to line rushes provided by Stefen Rosner of The Hockey News, Romanov took part in line rushes at practice with Noah Dobson on the first defensive unit. He seemingly missed the team’s last game due to the same nagging injury that’s kept him out for much of the regular season.
  • It was a short stay in the NHL for defenseman Riley Stillman. The Carolina Hurricanes announced they’ve reassigned Stillman to their AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, after only one day on the active roster. Carolina may have just used Stillman for another option at practice given that he was quickly recalled and reassigned before the Hurricanes’ next game.

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